


Underwater Lessons

by SapphyreLily



Series: Seijoh 4 Week 2017 [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Parent-Child AU, seijoh4week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 02:31:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9471491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SapphyreLily/pseuds/SapphyreLily
Summary: Seijoh 4 Week Day 3 - Aquarium Date & Child/Parent AUIt is a lovely day to look at fish - and apparently meet new friends.





	

“Papa! Big fidh!” The little boy can’t be more than five years old, his hair streaked with blue from the dim light of the tank. Matsukawa grins and picks him up, spinning him in the air, and he laughs with delight.

“That big fish has a name, you know,” he whispers conspiratorially, tucking his son against his hip. They tilt their heads back, watching as it swims over them. “That’s a shark.”

“Shark?”

“Shark.” He nods solemnly. “With big teeth and a strong jaw and can _eat_ little boys like you.”

His son gapes, then laughs, turning to follow the shark with his eyes. “Strong fidh! Like Papa?”

“Nah. Papa's not that strong. The shark may be stronger.”

The little boy beats his fists against his shoulder in protest. “No, no! Papa stronger!”

“I think _you’re_ the strongest. You have Godzilla, and I don’t.” He bops his son on the nose, and he lights up, with a grin so wide it shows off his tiny canines.

“Godzilla stronger than shark?”

“Godzilla is stronger than anyone,” he promises, and his son squirms with glee.

“Well, excuse me for saying so, but I think aliens are stronger than anything.”

Matsukawa turns to see a man staring at them challengingly, and he hears his son make a confused sound.

“But aliens aren’t real.”

“Yeah!” A loud shout makes them all jump, and a child peeps out from behind the brunet's leg, glaring up at him. “See, Papa, aliens aren’t real!”

“Hush, Takahiro, you don’t get to tell me what’s real or not–”

But the boy's attention is already off him, and he hops out from behind the man, tottering towards Matsukawa. “Hi, uncle! Do you like fish too?”

“Sure I do.” Matsukawa bends and sets his son down, looking the boy in the eye. “What fish do you like?”

“Jellyfish!” Takahiro grins widely, and makes an open-close motion with his hand, bobbing it up and down. “They’re pink, like me!”

When Matsukawa stares blankly, the boy _humphs_ and stomps his foot. “My hair is pink!”

“Oh. Ohhh.” Matsukawa grins, reaches out to ruffle his hair. “It must be the light, little guy. Makes you look purple instead.”

“Purple?” Takahiro frowns, tiny brows scrunched together. Then his face lights up, and he claps his hands in delight. “Jellyfish are purple too!”

“That they are.”

Sounds of squabbling reach them, and they turn to see the brunet arguing with the spiky-haired boy.

“No! Godzilla stronger!”

“Well, excuse _you,_ but I don’t think you’re old enough to tell me what’s strong or not–”

“Papa said Hajime makes good chooses!”

“You mean _choices_.”

“Hajime meant what he said!”

“Oh my god, I should stop them.” Matsukawa mutters, and tries to stand, but then there’s a small hand on his sleeve, tugging. He turns to see Takahiro with a serious expression, and the boy cups his hand over his mouth to whisper to him.

“Let them yell,” he says too loudly, eyes darting to his parent. “Papa’s funny when he yells about aliens.”

“The word's ‘argue’,” he tells him. “Impress your Papa with big words.”

“A-ar–”

“Argue.”

“Ague?”

“Close enough.”

“Ague!” Takahiro grins at him. In a second, his eyes widen, and he claps his hands over his mouth. “Oops. Uncle, what’s your name?”

“Matsukawa.”

“Uncle Ma-Matsu–”

“Never mind. My name’s Issei.”

“Uncle Issei?”

“You got it right! Good job!”

The boy grins and bows. “Nice to meet you, Uncle Issei! My name’s Takahiro!” He leans in, hand over his mouth again. “Don’t tell Papa I forgot my manners.”

Matsukawa laughs. “Don’t worry. I never remembered mine at your age. Nice to meet you, Takahiro-kun.”

Takahiro grins and bounces up and down, tugging at his hand. “Okay, okay, let’s go! I need to show Papa I know big words!”

They move towards the quarrelling duo, just in time to see Hajime kick the man in the shin. Matsukawa gapes, ready to laugh before he remembers that he’s supposed to be the responsible one. “Hajime!”

His son looks up at him with a pout, pointing at the brunet accusingly. “He started it!”

The brunet gives him a sour look. “You’re supposed to listen to adults.”

“You’re no adult.” Hajime announces, hands in fists. “You’re a big kid!”

Matsukawa almost laughs, but it takes the sharp bark of glee beside him before he gives in to the urge. He feels a tug on his pants, and doesn’t hesitate to return the high five that Takahiro holds up.

The brunet turns to them with a mixed look of annoyance and horror. “Takahiro, you’re supposed to be on _my_ side! And you! You’re supposed to be the responsible one!”

“You’re arguing with a kid,” Matsukawa points out. “That’s not very mature either.”

“He said aliens aren’t real!”

“Papa, I keep telling you aliens _aren’t_ real–”

“Shush. I’m the adult, you listen to _me_.”

Matsukawa rolls his eyes, and catches Takahiro doing the same. _“Papa.”_

“Hanamaki Takahiro, you listen here–”

“Uncle Issei and me are gonna look at jellyfish,” he announces loudly, then darts forward to grab Hajime's hand. “You come too.”

Matsukawa snorts but lets himself be pulled away, and hears the man behind him shriek with indignation. “Takahiro!”

“Run, run!” Takahiro laughs and pulls them, but they don’t get very far before the man catches up and picks him up, holding him at an arm’s length and glaring.

Takahiro pouts and looks down, mumbling under his breath. Matsukawa feels a tad bad for the child – his father looks genuinely upset – but he’s not his to discipline.

“Papa?” He looks down to see Hajime holding out his arms, and picks the boy up so he can whisper into his ear. “Pinky in trouble?”

“Maybe.” He whispers back. “He was kind of rude to his father.”

“Oh.”

After a moment, he hears again, “Papa?”

“Yeah?”

“Lemme down. Needa say sorry.”

Matsukawa is a little stunned, but he puts him down anyway, and watches as his son goes up to the man and tug on his pant leg. “Hey, uncle?”

“I'm busy.” The brunet doesn’t spare him a glance, but he keeps pulling on the material anyway.

“Uncle. Uncle.”

 “For goodness sake,” he snaps, looking away from his son. “I’m not old enough to be called _uncle._ ”

“Sorry, uncle.” He lets go and steps back, bowing deeply. “Sorry for being rude, uncle.”

“I told you, don’t call me un– Did you say _sorry_?”

“Yeah?”

The brunet stares, then slowly lowers his son, who shuffles a few steps away, head ducked. But the man's attention isn’t on him, it’s on the little boy who tried to apologize.

“Sorry uncle.” Hajime repeats dutifully. “Sorry for being rude, I won’t do it again.”

Matsukawa gapes, even though he was the one who taught him that line. The brunet looks equally confused, and looks up at Matsukawa for help. He shrugs and mouths _say you forgive him_ , but the man doesn’t seem to get it.

Matsukawa sighs internally. He claps his son on the shoulder, telling him, “Good job. I think this nice uncle accepts your apology, right?”

He levels a glare at the man when he doesn’t respond, and the brunet scrambles to say, “Of course, of course. Apology accepted. You’re very polite.”

“Okay.” Hajime looks slightly happier, and bows again, but this time he says, “Hi uncle. I’m Hajime. Sorry that aliens don’t exist.”

The man gapes at him, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Finally he clears his throat and says, “You’re a good boy, Hajime-kun, but aliens _do too_ exist.”

Hajime frowns. “But–”

“Papa, Papa.” Takahiro is back, clinging on to his father’s arm. “There’s a big scary thing over there. Is that an alien?”

“What? Where?”

“That wall.”

The man scrambles off in the direction that Takahiro pointed out, completely ignoring the three of them. Hajime turns to the other boy, brow furrowed. “Alien?”

Takahiro grins. “Nah, it’s just a rock.”

Matsukawa snorts and takes Hajime’s hand, holding out his free one to Takahiro. “Well, if your father’s busy looking for a rock, why don’t we follow him, so you won’t lose him?”

Takahiro smiles and places his hand in his. “Okay! Can we go look at the jellyfish first?”

Hajime peeps around Matsukawa’s leg. “Jellyfidh?”

“Yeah!”

They start up a conversation, and Matsukawa lets himself be pulled along while keeping an eye out for the alien-loving brunet. It’s not difficult taking care of one extra kid, but he thinks he ought to know the guy’s name if he’s doing him a favour.

 _Well,_ Matsukawa thinks as the jellyfish exhibit comes into sight, _at least the kids are having fun._


End file.
